When we talk 'mindsetting' in confrontations ..it might help to keep in mind that in spite of our well cultivated images of 'superiority' when thinking of squaring off with a real opponent in the street we will be overcome by the natural strongest instinct of self preservation regardless of the parallel feelings of confidence >> riding ' shotgun' with us !

We will be assailed by lots of 'doubts' …i.e., the phantom opponent of your dreams has suddenly materialized in a form that , it seems, has still exceeded your training anticipation ! Say you were foolish enough to go to a Christmas party held by a union of iron workers with free flowing booze and your stupid friend telling everybody that you just got promoted to yondan ..my-my!

Now one six foot , six inches , 250 pounds , drunken moron , mad at the world because his wife ran away with a bespectacled office 'wimp' last week , sets his eye on you and calls you out in the parking lot to prove to the world he is still a man ! [ This actually happened to me in the seventies] !! Geoff Thompson , in his book watch my back , describes the chemical cocktail explosion inside , the legs shaking and " that little man popped up on my shoulder and said ..' now you're f***, ain't you ? " He continues .." the arse dropped out of my trousers and the sugar pedestal of dan ranks crumbled below me , leaving me back on the unfriendly floor of reality "

This is the time you will find out if that 'real training' you got from your better than anybody else sensei [ you know the one that I mean right? ] will either make you a hero in the eyes of your good friend, who invited you at the party , or will leave you frozen on the tarmac wetting your pants anticipating the rush of a crazed animal !

Now this is interesting ! Geoff says that by exposure to stressful situations i.e., conjure up fears ' confrontation /desensitization' practice …you harness and utilize fear ..and you decide once committed ..that this is "blood" no matter what the guy pulls on you - knife -gun -or how big he is !

" We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments, under the most perfect conditions, under conditions of greatest courage , we enjoy and even thrill to the god like possibilities we see in ourselves at such peak moments, and yet, simultaneously , we shiver with weakness, awe and fear before the same possibilities " Sound familiar??

What do you do when , as Geoff says : " Oh f*** , my best shot and he is still standing !"

And he continues ;" Psychology is a major part of street fighting , making your opponent think you are not scared or hurt , that you are invincible " The psychological advantage is king …How do you mindset for it ..and don't ask me to spell it out for you ..if you have been following this forum ..you should have an idea or two ..Let's hear some !! How would handle the crazy iron worker 'calling your bluff' ?

Reading the form helps: I hope that I will have learned to keep my mouth shut, eyes on the assailant, and find away of leaving the situation.

Sparring in the dojo helps me.

I am fearful still of the sparring experience. Each time I spare I must still overcome my fear of getting hurt and of hurting. I understand the sparring is done under in a controlled situation, and does not relate to the speed and violence of the street. However for me, in the dojo, I must face people faster and stronger and try to beat them. Lose and do it again a week later. It's good training.

Get hit and keep going. Like last Thursday night, first match was with a guy who had to leave early cause he had a bloody nose, ok, a second match and I shut down cause I got hit with a solid right to my face.

Lesson learned? My face stopped throbbing in minutes, my left toe that I banged up real bad in the first sparring match kept me off my feet Friday and Saturday and is still swollen Sunday night.

See the face was a mental fear, it kicked in right away, the foot I just did not think about till everything was over, and it was really damaged.

Sensei Canna I was one of the Nova Scotian students at the Saturday workout in Brockton a few weeks ago. Thank you for your instruction.

>>I am fearful still of the sparring experience. Each time I spare I must still overcome my fear of getting hurt and of hurting. I understand the sparring is done under in a controlled situation, and does not relate to the speed and violence of the street. However for me, in the dojo, I must face people faster and stronger and try to beat them. Lose and do it again a week later. It's good training. <<

This is so important. It is working a bit out of our envelop of safety, bring us closer to the "training edge". This brings us closer in preparation to the "real thing" than anything else we can do in the dojo -- in my opinion.

>>Get hit and keep going. Like last Thursday night, first match was with a guy who had to leave early cause he had a bloody nose, ok, a second match and I shut down cause I got hit with a solid right to my face.<<

This type of "mental conditioning" pays off and will kick in when you need it most. Even if you were hit, you will find yourself acting so long as you are conscious because you have trained yourself to do so.

The other day, I had to remove three young teens from our community center because of behavior. A staff had asked them to leave earlier. They ignored her. I spent ten minutes telling them to leave and got the same result. I can either call the cops to remove (and arrest them) or can try to escort them out myself. I opted for the latter. When I went towards them, the "leader" "squared" himself for what he thought what was going to be a fight. I simply wanted to grab his arm and lead him out. When I reached for his arm. He swung and hit me in the face. My glasses flew off, but I honestly felt no pain. I immediately grabbed him and got a headlock/choke on him. We both almost went over a banister and down the stairwell. I pulled him away, bouncing off the walls and landing on the floor. I still had the choke and ended on top of him. He started gouging at my eyes and I kept the choke. His face turned blue and he finally stopped gouging at my eye. By that time another staff came over. I let go of the kid and walked away. The kid started shaking and sobbing on the floor, totally overwhelmed by emotions and his adrenalized state.

I felt slightly adrenalized, but mostly calm emotionally. I didn't think initially nor afterwards that it was a "serious" fight. I consciously avoided striking at the kid even when he struck me and when he was gouging my eyes. My single purpose when the altercation started was to control the kid. I felt neither his strike nor his eye gouging, though afterwards the corner of my eye and a bit of the "white" where he scratched started to swell. Quite frankly, I've been hit much harder in sparring and kept going. What this kid tried was nothing in comparison.

Keep training, tried different things and pushed yourself outside of the "safety zone" every so often. But, take care of injuries if you want to last the years in your practice.

How would I fare in the situation you describe? The image it conjures up is that of a strong floral smell with my family standing around quietly sobbing. But, basically I like to think I would fare better than the average poor b**tard who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. How much better? A slight bit? I'll take even that.

Abraham Lincoln once said " If I had 8 hours to cut down a tree, I would spend 6 hours sharpening my ax."

Well, in the grand scheme of self defense, I would be the first to admit that my ax is pretty dull. But at least I have found my way to the grinding wheel.

Okay, Van Canna-sensei, I admit I just want to say hello. No, I have not come to blows with any agitated patients lately -- or ever. Yes, I've blocked a couple of punches in the clinic. No surprise, right? Guess what? My boss bought a case of DeBecker's Gift of Fear for the line staff at my hospital. I gave a lecture on the book at the same time, quite by coincidence. My boss and I are now seeing eye to eye on a number of topics. Whose idea? Yours! Thanks. Michael.